Opportunity Newark - Initiative for a Competitive Inner City

port area, for which contamination is just one barrier to
redevelopment. 39 Lengthy environmental permitting procedures
are another constraint to land development. Many
developers and companies cited ambiguity regarding permitting
procedures, specifically uncertainty over how to
navigate the permitting process, as a major constraint to
development in most industrial areas, including Newark. 40
Through guidance about how to navigate the system, from
a secured “guide” with knowledge of the permitting procedures,
many companies and developers see an incredible
opportunity to expedite the permitting process, facilitate
port development, and enable them to create lucrative
businesses on port land.
Another obstacle is the condition of the land. Much of
Newark is built on a “meadow mat” of spongy marsh. This
land creates an additional barrier to development as it
increases construction costs to developers. 41 Other obstacles
include the size of the parcels, land assembly, the
ownership of the parcels, and the cost of decontamination.
As a result, the greenfields available at New Jersey’s Exits
7A and 8A are more attractive to traditional developers.
Ambiguous Oversight: There is some uncertainty as to
which organization should take the lead role in implementing
economic development plans for the Port. Port lands
outside of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s
jurisdiction are owned and managed by private companies.
To address these issues, many organizations have
been entering into collaborative agreements to manage
specific aspects of port development. The Portfields and
Portways Initiatives, for example, are multi-agency collaborative
efforts being led by the NJEDA and the PANYNJ
to address issues surrounding land development, transportation
and infrastructure. 42 The Comprehensive Port
Improvement Plan (CPIP), a strategic plan focusing on the
growth of the cargo-handling capacity of the Port of New
York and New Jersey, is a cooperative effort initiated by
Port project sponsors, regulatory agencies, and regional
resource agencies. 43 These efforts have ensured that organizations
and entities influenced by the port have reached
unprecedented levels of collaboration. Given the success of
these initiatives, further collaborative efforts to address
additional port development needs will only heighten the
impact of these existing efforts, creating far-reaching
local and regional benefits.
Action Plan
Using their collective industry knowledge, the TLD Action
Team determined its areas of focus by selecting issues
39 Mack, J. Otto York Center for Environmental Engineering & Science, NJIT; Shankar P. Wide Open Spaces. NJBIZ. 5/23/05.
40 Shankar P. Wide Open Spaces. NJBIZ. 5/23/05; ICIC Interviews.
41 J. Bickford, J. Heyes, H. Lee, G. Moored, C. Quinn. Soil Stabilization Policy Research (unpub.). 1/06.
42 The Port Authority of NY & NJ and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Portfields Initiative Market Overview and Potential Site
Locations. 9/30/05.
43 Comprehensive Port Improvement Plan Website: http://www.cpiponline.org/.
OpportunityNewark: Jobs and Community Development for the 21st Century 30